Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon

If you're like me and absolutely loved 90's Sailor Moon anime, please, stay away from this manga. Everything interesting in the anime simply doesn't exist here.
Sailor Moon is the typical magical girl story you've seen before: a girl gets power and fights evil to save the world, but that's basically it. Every arc plot is almost the same, repeating the same formula for 61 chapters, making you sick and tired of the story very quickly. Also, the character development is non-existent. Appart from the annoying cry-baby Usagi Tsukino, we don't get to known the others characters personalities at all.
And last but not last, the art while cute, is very generic and surely does not stand out among other works of the same era.
Overall, Sailor Moon manga is uniteresting and lacks charisma and personality and is the exact opposite of the anime, being much inferior to its animated counterpart. No wonder this is Takeuchi's only work.

Abajo está la review en inglés/below is the review in English

[Español]
el manga de sailor moon soluciona los dos principales problemas del anime (el 69.9% de la serie que correspondería al relleno, y algunas incoherencias provocadas por los mismos episodios). El manga de sailor moon me encanta, el dibujo de naoko takeuchi es muy llevadero, la historia (aunque simple) es atrapante, los personajes son carismáticos y los antagonistas están bien planteados.
Un plus extra: tiene a Tuxedo Mask, y con eso, ya es el mejor maho shoujo (Ok no)
[English]
The sailor moon manga solves the two main problems of the anime (69.9% of the series that would correspond to the filler, and some inconsistencies caused by the same episodes). I love the sailor moon manga, the drawing of naoko takeuchi is very bearable, the story (although simple) is compelling, the characters are charismatic and the antagonists are well posed.
An extra plus: he has Tuxedo Mask, and with that, he is already the best maho shoujo (Ok no)

I first watched the dubbed anime when I was little, and it along with Speed Racer is what got me into anime in the first place. Sailor Moon holds a special little spot in my heart because of that, it was the first anime show I couldn't get enough of.

Starting a few days ago I decided that I would read the manga, and I just recently finished all of it, and it was wonderful, but it seemed rather rushed. Each villian went down so quickly, and each story arc ended rather fast. I prefer the anime to the manga because of this. When I watched the anime, I got to know each character better, including the villians, and story arcs didn't have to move so quickly.

In the end for me: the manga was a great way to pull me back into the Sailor Moon fandom, and would be a nice introduction to it for someone new, it was a lot of fun to read, and I would recommend it. But after, I would recommend watching the anime; which I plan to go do again myself.

I have to say, when I first think of Sailor Moon, I flashback to the anime episode where Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars are fighting Jedite at the airport. That was when I was 5 and saying "Moon Prism Power" like it was a mantra. Now, as a college graduate, I have the honor of re-reading the manga that inspired me to have a manga collection (300+ and counting!). So yes, I love this manga.

I think it's hard to describe Sailor Moon as the typical shojo manga because it is THE shojo manga. It's hard to find one nowadays that isn't inspired by and/or flashes back to Sailor Moon. Girl Power, Romance, Time Travel, Magic Unicorns, and Intergalactic space fights--these are all in Sailor Moon.

If at anytime you wanted to go fight evil with a group of friends, Sailor Moon will reach out to you. It's funny, it's emotional, it's sometimes confusing, but most of all it is inspiring and courageous. It taught me about love and acceptance before I even knew hate and intolerance. It shows that everyone can transform into a better version of themselves countless of times, and can gain friends that will always believe in who they are.

If I had to give ONE thing I dislike (and I am scratching deep down past the nostalgia filter) it would be that while the anime was marketed to children in America (seriously, iffy call), the manga was thought to be so too. However, I would not consider the manga as censored nor necessarily appropriate for what is considered to be the typical American child. Cue a lot of awkward, mature conversations.

In summary, Great read and any manga fan should read at least the first 2 (in the original format, 4) books, whether they end up loving it or not loving it as much.

Right so I decided to try out reading Sailor Moon after being dissatisfied with “Sailor V” in my mid 20s because basically, i didn’t grow up with it much from childhood nor have I ever attempted to watch the tv series (nor watch the new version) .I only read it in a GirlTalk magazine once and that was it.

Anyways as much as I hate to admit it but the story was rather off and cheesy. It’s pretty much exactly like Sailor V but it’s more detailed. I did like the scenes with Usagi and Tuexdo man, although it was rather odd that they straight away embraced each other without getting to know each other properly. I just felt the storyline didn’t give them enough time to fully evolve actually and it looked to be rather forced. Don’t get me wrong, I fully respect Sailor Moon stans who love this series like it is a fun cutesy old skool gem to go “aww” to but whether I’m not a kid anymore or just prefer deep dive stories, it’s just not for me chaps! It’s disappointing cause I really tried to connect with it and join the “Sailor Moon club” but fraid not!

I will still enjoy rocking out to “Moonlight Densetsu”, such a tune man! 👌🏻🤟

I LOVE sailor moon. I got interested in manga through tamadashi horoka (sorry can’t spell) there is amazing character development and no point in the series where you want to stop reading. Sailor moon has a full story from start to finish, and leaves you with the sense that there is much more to this universe. Sailor moon is heartfelt and wrenching with every second being an amazing experience. Sailor moon is an inspiration for everyone. Sailor moon is an ever expanding universe and will never age that is why I love it. Sailor Moon is my favorite manga for the reasons above. In conclusion the sailor moon is amazing I would reread it a million times for it’s infinite universe, wonderful storyline, and character development.

ENJOYMENT SECTION: 8/10
Ah, good ol’ pretty sailor warriors! Despite being the series most other mahou shoujo copied thereafter, it remains in the tops because very few managed to have its variety and vividness. Plus, I like it too.

ART SECTION: 7/10 [Bishoujos in Sailor Suits.]

Following the trend, the artwork is extremely shoujo, that means very breezy sketches and loose borders between frames. It looks very amateurish in the first part but along the way it improves considerably and towards the end it now looks splendid. You just have to get used to the idea that the plot is driven by dialogue and mostly cinematics, rather motion or action. The battles are to the most part very short and unimpressive but what happens in between is plain wonderful.

Despite its girly looks there are parts with quite the disturbing graphical violence. The way most people die in it is bordering occult horror, as they are either turned to mummies or dust (and this applies to many innocents as well). There are also lots of illusions and psychedelic sceneries that make this rather inappropriate for too young readers. For the same reason I liked it even more, heh.

STORY SECTION: 8/10 [Once upon a time, there was a princess on the moon...]

The story is basically separated into five arcs and in each we have the stereotypical tale of superpowered girls fighting demons who want to take over the world. The plot is extremely fast for manga standards and in each chapter there will always be something new to further the plot. Although it gets repetitive and predictable after awhile, the events that happen in-between the battles are quite captivating so it is not that annoying.

Despite the cheesy premise, there are several overtones in each arc which don’t allow things to be too black or white, or even good or evil. To some extent each character has its dark side, some villains have more reasons than just being born evil, and every challenge is attacking the mind as well as body. Thus the story is more psychological and even philosophical that your typical superpower fighting formula. Although it always amounts down to using the power of love or friendship, it is still quite creepy and exciting most of the times.

There are also several themes that go far beyond the notions of good and evil. What is happiness, how it feels to be immortal, how can you live as nothing but a vessel for everyone’s grief. Also the scale of the battles escalates to encompass entire worlds and eventually the whole galaxy, making you feel like you are watching a story that is bigger than life itself. So although the basic idea is that of a fairy tale, it constantly expands to various serious matters that make it appear to be far more than just that.

CHARACTER SECTION: 8/10 [Although there are no original characters, their quirks and decent coloring makes up for it.]

The characters are the rather standard bunch of people you expect to see in such a tale. The teenage girls who do girly stuff by day (school, romance, hobbies) and battle demons by night. The thing is that they are colorized a lot along the way and each one becomes a distinctive personality, despite usually being grouped together in battles as a unit. So you are not supposed to criticize them in battles, which as I said they are very fast and unexciting, but rather of what they are doing, saying or feeling between battles. They are still 2 dimensional to the most part but they are very distinctive for their stereotype and easily become likable and memorable.

A thing which I didn’t like that much is how most of the villains weren’t given much attention. Most were nothing but generic one-chapter enemies and were killed right away before we get the time to even understand why or who or when. The anime version deliberately prolonged the plot with lots of stand-alone episodes where you could get to know them but here they come and go in a few pages. The big bads are otherwise nicely colorful and make delightfully evil adversaries.

VALUE SECTION: 10/10 [I find no reason for not considering it amongst the best of what this genre has to offer.]

Sailor Moon is neither the first nor the best Mahou Shojo on the block. But it became famous enough, thanks to:
-its likable characters. Since all of them are stereotypes, every viewer can easily find someone he/she likes and thus root for.
-its long duration, easily becoming the longest Mahou Shojo ever made. More than enough time to bind with the characters.
-its evolving story.
-its romance. It is quite stereotypical most of the time but the visual effects and the metaphysical plot make it more interesting than that of a typical slice-of-life romantic scenario.
-its several name allusions. Every Sailor Warrior has the basic element she controls in her surname, villains are always named after a specific category (minerals in the first season, crystals in the second, animals in the fourth, metals in the fifth), and special effects are tied to their user’s personality.

VERDICT: 8/10
Very naïve and repetitive but its heart is pure and intact.

The anime was a part of my childhood and the manga became serialized for a second time when I was in Highschool. This is one of the few manga series that I own in its entirety, though I still can't call it my favorite series, even if we're just taking the graphic novel medium into consideration. That's because there are many flaws with this series that become very relevant the more times you read it, which makes it so that it's not the best series to re-read, at least not for me. But I'm here to write a short review of the series and I did give it an 8 on my overall rating of it, so it still does hold a place in my favorites.

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The Bad:

The biggest thing that's bugged me since I started reading this series in high school was the length of every female character's legs and the fact that every character looks vastly older than they are. In the first volume, Takeuchi introduces Usagi as a 14-year-old girl but I'd have trouble understanding that for a couple of reasons. I know what 14-year-old girls look like and that's not it. These designs make a lot more sense for characters like Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto or any of the other adult characters, but no for the bodies of these still-developing teenage girls.

Another aspect of the designs that I'm not too fond of is that you don't really have any differentiation between the designs of different characters when it comes to their physical builds. Even when we get the "guyish" senshi, they only end up being taller and maybe having larger breasts. We don't have a heavy set senshi, or an overly short senshi, or a really tall and lanky senshi. Some variance other than breast size would be nice.

Now onto my gripes with the story. Well, this is a bit of a comparison to the anime, which I know is wrong to do, but the villains pale in comparison to their anime counterparts. The four generals in the first arc didn't have their own individual personalities, nor did Beryl. The same can be said for pretty much every other villain in the franchise until we get to the fourth arc, which I'll talk about in the good section of this review. The supporting cast also tends to suffer in characterization until the fourth arc (when they're separated from Usagi and have to deal with their own inner demons).

But that's about it for the bad.

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The Good:

The story for Sailor Moon is, for the most part, very good. It's hard to really talk about it without going into a full analysis of the series but you'll just have to take my word for it in this case.

Even though the rest of the series doesn't do characterization very well, I do honestly think that fourth and fifth arcs make up for the lost ground with the amount of character development that we get for each member of the supporting cast right before killing them all off in the final. Even though the series ends with each character dying twice and Usagi (arguably) choosing paradise over starting over with her life again, it's written in such a way that makes sense if you're capable of reading between the lines. A lot of revealed about the lore of the Sailor Moon in these arcs that isn't translated into the anime and Galaxia is a lot more ruthless in this version of the story.

Now onto the designs I actually really liked. Galaxia looks identical to her anime counterpart and the design really suits her. The same can be said for Princess Kakyuu, who, while still having a small role, has a much bigger role in manga as well. I also like how the Starlights masquerade as men during the day but are completely female during the night, they don't just change genders.

And I do actually really enjoy this series, it keeps me entertained from beginning to end, and even though I can see the many flaws in the series, I do still really love it.

Sailor Moon was one of my first animes ever. When I was younger I loved the show so when I saw the manga when I was, I think 13 or so, I knew I had to get them. I love this series and I suggest it to anyone who remotely like the anime. The manga series is more like the original Sailor Moon series, NOT the dubbed version (which imo is pretty awful). Also, if you are like me and get emotional over books then be prepared for a fun emotional ride. The series spans from the beginnings of Sailor Moon to the end of the Stars Series. A must read for sailor moon fans and fans of magic, romance, and girl-power.

This manga is filled with romance and adventure that you will love. I absolutley loved this series, it made me feel happiness, sadness and love. I especially enjoyed this manga because the art was just fantastic. The artist put in alot of detail and you can really tell what's happening. What confused me was the endings, the ending sometimes messed me up because the storyline changed a bit or they appeared somewhere that they weren't before. The love scenes were stunning and heart warming.

The storyline was very intresting and it pulled me in, with the adventure that Sailor Moon and her scouts went on I just didn't want to put the book down!

The world of Pretty Soldier: Sailor Moon is one to best delve into via the form of its original manga, in my opinion. There is something so special about the manga, a feeling I can't really replicate perfectly in words. When I started reading it, I really had to slow down because I felt that there was something here that needed to be deeply appreciated about the finished work I was holding. What I'm trying to get at here is that Sailor Moon feels like a work that its creator, Naoko Takeuchi, put her entire heart into. Each character feels so special, like she put so much love and pieces of herself into every wisp of hair she so beautifully rendered. Even with the ridiculously stylized shojo features every character has, it all just feels so honest. I think I saw an interview of her painting a piece of art for presumably a cover or art book, and she said something along the lines of, "I work looking out at the sunset (and maybe ocean too?). I try to paint the art quickly so as to capture the colors and feeling of the sunset, and sometimes it ends up looking a bit messy." I feel like you can really see that in her colored works. Gorgeous pieces with vibrant background colors that run into each other and are a little wild but have a lot of heart.

Having said all of that, I must confess that I don't have much of a review for the manga's story. I just came here to gush about how much I admire Sailor Moon. Reading the manga gives me such a whimsical, lovely feeling that I hope other people can experience when they read it.

Just like many people,I have a special bond with Sailor Moon considering it was the very first anime I was exposed to at the tender age of 3.I might not have many clear memories of that time but it did make an impact on me.Of course after than time it has been broadcasted on TV here again and again,though not always making it to the last episode.I've always loved this,I'd wake up at 6 in the morning just to watch it every time.
So for my love about Sailor Moon I feel it is my duty to write a review for the anime or the manga.I picked the manga cause it is more straightforward and direct than the anime,which spans 200 episodes or something he majority of which are uninspired enemies that don't even exist in the manga.

Upon reading the manga a sort of nostalgia overwhelmed me,I'm sure it's the same case for most people.I was enjoying my time reading and the first arc was pretty nice but it's after that when this manga exposes its true weaknesses.Which is...Tsukino Usagi is a Mary Sue character.I can already imagine everyone of you staring at me with horror as if uttered something unthinkable,but it's the truth no matter what.That's this manga's drawback and it's a serious one one.I know Usagi is the main character...but she could always share some of her spotlight and important role with the rest of the characters.They're her soldiers but honestly what's the point if she overpowers them all EVERY SINGLE TIME?
I like the character designs and abilities,but unfortunately,if we don't take into account the first arc where they are introduced they end up being pretty much useless.Usagi is another important person so she saves the day while the rest have fallen.I'm very bothered by this cause.I can't even believe it took by surprise when she defeated another antagonist,I was thinking..."This cannot be happening,is this what I loved so much?"
See,because the manga is a lot shorter than the anime this weakness is pretty apparent,whilst in the anime it is covered by the fillers that make the rest of the characters have more story and be useful.
After touching on this very important drawback that takes away so much I'd like to proceed to the following:

As far as the art is concerned I cannot say much since I hardly have much experience with manga of that year.I've rated it a 6 cause...it's Sailor Moon...and it's not that bad...and you can tell what is going on.

Moving on...Sure the story has been done many times considering the popularity of Sailor Moon and how successful it's being.I'm sure at the time it was pretty much ahead of its time.Heck I still enjoy watching unfold(on the anime).That should be a 7.

I already touched on the topic about the characters,really big mistake to put the focus on Usagi the whole time even if she is the main character.Gets a 3 from me.

Enjoynment...would have been more but like I mentioned earlier what was done with the characters really bothered me and took away from the experience.Perhaps I had other characters I liked besides Usagi who didn't act on their full potential or on a role that suited them way better than Tsukino.
Above average,6.

Overall,I feel it deserves a 6.It offered many things to the anime/manga world and it has establish itself as the representative of the genre(magical girl).We should not be blinded by the fact of how much we loved it when the truth is it has not aged well at all from many aspects(1.characters,2.art,3.story)
I was a tiny bit influenced by my own childhood memories though I feel the anime is superior to the manga despite its never-ending fillers for reasons mentioned above.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review.

Whoever loved the Sailor Moon anime, would love reading it's manga for the more detailed hidden information it reveals. So much was left out of the original anime that you'll be shocked.

The Classic first season, many characters had more to them instead of being simply evil enemies, and the original Japanese anime's yaoi was not present in this season.

S- Haruka...almost was like a different character at times as her feminine side was shown more instead of being the constant manly girl. Hotaru's character was alot more traumatic and darker.

SuperS Arc- Chibi-Usa(Rini) and Tuxedo Mask's past and future is more explored in the manga when you read into the details, while in the anime it was never mentioned.

Stars- This season was the one that received the most changes in the original Japanese anime. Genders, personalities, and even relationships were completely different. ChibiChibi herself is a whole different character.

Despite all these differences, detailed backgrounds, references and having a powerful story, it does go through the entire story in few chapters so at times I felt like it was rushed while the original anime took it's time to really make us love it's characters.

Naoko's art is classic beautiful , I love so many things about it.

As for the story....to any newcomers, this is a classic magical girl series, and you should give it or the anime a try if you haven't already.

Story: The Sailor Moon series (dubbed) is what got me into anime and manga. Fans of the anime or of shoujo in general would love this series. The story spans over 17 of the 18 volumes in 5 arcs (one of the volumes is filler). The manga story often deviates from its anime counterpart, often taking a darker turn. However, the manga still has plenty of comedy, especially in the Exam Battle Chapters. Fans of romance would enjoy the story as well. I gave the story a 10 because I found it epic, classic shoujo.

Art: The artwork is great. I really love the trademark long, flowing hair.The covers, both original and reprint, are well designed and eye catching. My only complaint is that the main bad guys often look the same- Chaos, Pharaoh 90, and Queen Metallia all look like big black blobs to me.

Character: While Usagi, Chibi-usa, and Mamoru are well developed and interesting, the vast majority of the others aren't. They are often put aside to make more room for the other characters. The other sailor senshi are given personalities and backstory, but they don't really mature or change. This is understandable because of the lack of time, but some of the characters spend a significant amount of time completely out of the picture- kidnapped or dead.

Enjoyment/Overall: As I said in the story section, I went into my first read already enjoying the Sailor Moon story, and the manga version did not disappoint. It offers the same basic story I came to love while giving me enough different things to keep me interested. The artwork is good looking as well. Sadly, the English version of the manga is out of print. I would highly recommend the purchase of this series if you ever come across it. I would also recommend the artbooks as well.

This is where the whole phenomenon started, and it won't disappoint. More direct than the anime (okay 90% of the anime is filler/ bad guy of the week) and more serious, the story line is still the same, with some new characters and transformations thrown in. Some of the main characters (specifically Mars) are very different from their anime counterparts (I actually liked Usagi more than I wanted to strangle her!). A little less childish than the anime (but not that that's a bad thing), for any Moonie, it's a treat.

I knew Sailor Moon from the anime first as at the time I didn't know it was from a manga (in the 90's when I didn't have a computer and I was a kid).

I read through all of it after re-watching it and I still love it!
Story: Usagi discovers she is a Sailor guardian and from there, with the crew she gathered, she has to fight the evil organisations that try to take the Earth and ruin it with her magical powers!
I think the plot is good, there is hope, despair, love (all types!), peace and food and fashion, with some fights which is all good stuff.

Just a little warning for the ones who know the anime off by heart: the manga might seems shorter, but it is still very very good!

Art: Nothing to say about it. I just love it! It's full of imagination (the transformation, the powers the evil guys...) and it's well made. And the fashion! I would love such a collection of clothes!

Characters: The sailor guardians are strong-willed girls, even without their powers, they are still able to overcome their "weaknesses". They show that you can be beautiful, fashionable and still do whatever you wish to!
The main character is Usagi but I think there is a good share of focus on other characters as well, as we get to know some of their past and we can understand them better.
The evils ones are good in their job as well - they are bad and the further you go in the story, the worst they get!

I enjoyed every minute of it! I re-read it regularly. I laugh, cry, have my heart stop beating, I feel happy, sad each time I read it.
Overall, as you could guess, I think it is an outstanding work as it succeed to make me fell all these emotions every time I get back to it.

As with many others, Sailor Moon was the first anime I watched. At first, there was the horrible, horrible dubbed version. The real version is MUCH better, but nothing compared to the manga.

Unlike the anime, the manga arcs all flow into each other amazingly well. For example, Sailor Moon and the others get their power ups at the end of each arc, through much better means than in the anime. The manga is darker, but not without humour, and tells a much deeper and better story. Most notably is SuperS. The anime turned this into a cheesy, fluffy story, where in the manga it is very dark. Neherenia is a much more notorious villain, the amazoness quartet holds a far greater fate. Also, the golden crystal (and the silver crystal, for that matter) are much more important.
The anime also ignores the manga specials, save one. They animated "Ami Chan's first love", but not the stories focused around Jupiter, or Venus & Mars.
The main characters are much more developed individually in the manga, whereas most of their growths (save Usagi) are ignored or forgotten about in the anime. (For example, the Starlights in the anime each interact with other senshi, and have experiences that change them, but this is later forgotten about. Most notably, Ami's words to Taiki, and Minako's to Yaten)

The anime also changed many of the characters, most notably the outer senshi, Venus and Mars. Sailor Venus is a much more important character in the manga, where she was sold short in the anime. She is the leader of the inner senshi, and participates much more than in the anime. Especially in the Dark Kingdom and Black Moon arcs. Mars in the manga is a much more elegant and serious character. She and Venus are both portrayed well in the live action, but not the anime. The anime also ignores the relationship between Venus and Mars, which is very powerful, whether you regard it as romantic or not.
Sailor Saturn is also sold short in the anime. She is in S, SuperS and Stars arcs, as a major character. She interacts with the other senshi a lot more, and has a much bigger purpose. The outer senshi are much more important to the story, and never vanish like they do in the anime.
Uranus is also somewhat different, mostly in that she shows her more feminine side much more in the way she dresses. Pluto also has a bigger role, especially during the Black Moon arc.
Chibiusa is also much less annoying, mostly because you can't hear her talk, and she doesn't try and steal the spotlight so much. And, Tuxedo Kamen is actually useful! Instead of waving a cane around and throwing flowers, he actually is granted real powers by his four generals! The four generals also change a lot from the manga to the anime, and not in a good way.

The art in the manga is very elegant, and the artbooks are beautiful.
I promise that if you are a Sailor Moon anime fan, you'll love the manga. I think it is far greater, and I wish the anime had stuck to it more. The live action stayed closer, but created it's own story, but even that was better than the anime. I still appreciate the anime, but the manga is by far the better story. (I wish they would do what Fullmetal Alchemist did, and release a new version that's true to the manga!)